Chapter Twelve
I ’ve always felt lonely in this house, even when my parents are home and the staff are busy with their jobs, I’ve always felt like I’m alone but not quite like I do tonight.
My steps echo on the tiled floors. Has this house always been this sterile? It’s more of a showroom than home, a museum to flaunt wealth but there’s no character. I’ve never noticed it before, until right now. And maybe it’s because of the time I spent at River’s.
Sure, his place is tiny, no bigger than my bedroom but it had character. It was him. There was a story there. I can imagine the only stories these walls can tell is how much everything is worth.
It’s so incredibly sad.
Unable to bear it any longer, I head up to my bedroom. River’s t-shirt is lying across my bed, in the same place I left it after I got home and showered. It still smells like him, and I should probably wash it, and I definitely shouldn’t wear it again.
I shouldn’t but I’m going to.
Stripping out of my clothes, I pull it over my head, letting it fall to my thighs. I don’t bother with pants and stay just in my underwear. It smells like him and for whatever reason it makes me feel a little less alone.
Laying in the dark, I stare toward the window, having left the curtains open, I can see out into the expansive gardens. Golden lights have been placed all across the grounds, lighting it up, no matter what time it is. But despite the space, and all the gilded edges of this estate, it still feels like a prison.
And I wonder if I’ll ever escape it.
I know where my life is going, I know the only way out of this house is with marriage but even that, I’ll have no control over. It’ll be moving from one prison to another. And I doubt it’ll be much better than my current one.
Sleep doesn’t come easy that night, nor the night after. I don’t hear from River, not that I tried to contact him even though I wanted to, and I couldn’t figure out why. I don’t know him; we’ve spent a few hours together and that doesn’t warrant the kind of response I’m having to him.
I can’t put my finger on it, and it bothers me something furious that a man I barely know has buried himself under my skin and taken up space inside my head.
It’s been four days since I woke up in River’s bed without a word in those days until right now.
My phone buzzes with a new text message and since Zara is currently lounging on the sunbed beside me, I know it isn’t her and no one else texts me.
Frowning, I open the notification.
Unknown
There’s only one person who calls me princess.
River
“You okay?” Zara takes my attention away from my cell.
“Yeah, fine. River just text me.”
“River, as in hot, track racing, River?”
I burst out laughing, “Yes, that River.”
I haven’t told her about the incident at the track or that I woke up in his bed. She’d have so much fun with it and try to analyze something that isn’t there. He just took care of me because I couldn’t take care of myself. Any decent human would have done the same.
“What does he want?” She asks, plucking up her own cell.
“I don’t know,” I say, “I haven’t text him back.”
The text is read but he doesn’t respond so I put the cell down and go back to tanning myself in the sun. We’ve been out here since around eleven this morning and it’s the first day since Zara has been back from her trip, so it’s needed.
“I’m going to get us refills,” Zara stands and stretches and then pads through to the kitchen in just her bikini. The house is empty today, with no staff or anyone else which is why we can do this. If there were anyone else, we wouldn’t have been able to.
I press my hand to my brow to wipe away the light sheen of sweat and adjust my sunglasses before I turn on the bed to tan my back.
“Uh, Marly?” Zara calls from the kitchen, “Your gate buzzer just went off, want me to answer it?”
“Who is it?” I call back.
“I don’t know, maybe a delivery?”
“Sure, answer it.” I call back, laying my head back down. A few minutes later a shadow falls across me.
I look up, expecting to see Zara with our drinks but I’m met with jean clad thighs and a set of keys dangling from a finger.
“River!?” I gasp as he crouches in front of my head and throws me a grin, sinking dimples into his cheeks.
“Hey princess,” He cocks his head and lets his eyes travel down me where I’m spread on the bed. “Nice bikini.”
“What are you doing here?” I sit up and grab my towel, using it to cover the bright pink bikini as my cheeks flame.
“Delivering your car,” He stands and places the key on the table beside the sunbed before he walks around and throws himself onto the empty one Zara vacated. He pulls his sunglasses off his head and covers his eyes, tilting his face to the sun.
My eyes are still on him, my lips parted as I try to find something to say.
“I can feel you staring,” He tilts his face to me.
“Sorry,” I drop my eyes, shaking my head since it seems to be stuck.
“Don’t be,” He purrs, “I like your eyes on me.”
Zara’s laugh draws my attention, and I see her walking out with Jake, her smile bright as she giggles at something he whispers to her. I know they’ve been talking since they met at the carnival, and she likes him, a lot.
I try to hide my reaction to what River had said but it feels like my cheeks have only gotten hotter and hotter since he arrived.
“Oh shoot,” Zara stops, “I forgot the drinks.”
“I’ll get them!” I stand, grasping the towel to my body and then make my way quickly up the path and into the house. Once alone in the kitchen, I take a breath. Being around River is a lot like standing too close to a fire, he burns where he touches with no chance of ever cooling down.
“Running away from me, princess?” The door clicks closed behind River.
I stand on one side of the kitchen island while he remains on the other, next to the door, watching me intently. His white tee stretches over his chest and arms, a snug fit that shows every ridge and dip and curve of his muscles and several leather bracelets are wrapped around his wrist, along with some rings on his fingers.
His dark hair falls across his forehead, disheveled as if he’s run his hands through it a few times and there’s a slight shadow around his mouth and chin.
“I was getting drinks,” I whisper.
“Let me help you,” He suggests, stepping forward.
I stay rooted to the spot, watching him close the space between us until he’s right ahead of me.
“Where are the glasses?” he asks, looking down at me.
“Behind me.” My voice is all breath, and it feels as if my heart might jump right through my ribcage.
River leans forward and reaches above me, “This one?”
I nod and don’t move, his body brushes against mine as he pulls down the glasses, placing each one on the counter.
“What are you afraid of?” He asks eventually, neither of us having moved to prepare any of the drinks.
My eyes bounce between his, his so dark it feels as if I could get lost in them.
“I’m not afraid,” I lie.
“I think you’re lying,” My breath stutters from my chest as his fingers move up my arm, skin pebbling under his touch as he trails his hand, the touch featherlight, to my shoulder. “I think you want me and are too scared to admit it.”
“I don’t know you,” I point out.
“No,” His hand pause for a moment, “But you could.”